Wednesday

There are several descriptive ways to say it: Aladdin's Lamp, The Genie, The X Factor, The Game Changer, The Secret Weapon, The Difference Maker, etc. As I write about often what determines greatness on the athletic field and how does your athlete access that on a consistent basis?

Why do some teams seem to have a "magical" season winning all the close games, getting all the calls and all the bounces while others struggle for consistency and success? Why do some players look effortless in their command of the game, displaying exceptional, consistent peak performance game after game while other players hit massive slumps or ride the roller coaster of success and failure almost without warning or reason?

Certainly talent is an important component in the quest for greatness but talent is in no way a guarantee of greatness simply because an athlete is faster, stronger or quicker than others or possesses a greater command of softball specific skills than others.

Certainly physical preparation plays a huge role in determining greatness as success would be virtually impossible in a game as difficult to master as fastpitch softball unless an athlete and team spend significant time practicing the fundamentals of hitting, fielding, pitching and base running.

But here is where the analysis usually ends...with the physical. If we study almost any great athlete we will discover that the one thing that separates him or her from the competition is their mental preparation.

Simply stated your athlete's success and desire for greatness is found between her ears. And her ability to take responsibility for her thoughts, feelings, emotions and behaviors is the true secret weapon that either she uses to advance her game or destroy it.

On the field after 600+ games coaching (and countless I have seen on television) I have witnessed some amazing performances as well as pathetic ones from individual players and teams. I always marvel at the unsung hero of the World Series; usually a guy with limited success during the season who transforms himself into a monster when it counts the most. Why does this phenomenon happen so frequently and what creates the World Series greatness? Here are 10 attributes of greatness your athlete needs to demonstrate to become her team's World Series hero:

All of these ideal attributes require mental skills training in order to be consistent in her approach to the game. These attributes of greatness take time to cultivate and will not happen through physical training alone. Mental skills training can give her the tools to insure her the best opportunity for consistent success and greatness in a difficult game.

The upside of proper mental skills training will be a player who can utilize her secret weapon at will to consistently elevate her game from good to great. Her mastery of the game will accelerate as will her desire and joy for playing it.

Your athlete has a powerful secret weapon located between her ears. Is she using it to insure her greatness?

Official Mental Game Coach, The Next Level

About John Kelly

As a sports parent, championship game coach, mental performance expert, former youth league Board member and former two sport collegiate athlete John Kelly brings a unique perspective and voice to the world of youth sports. John has been coaching youth sports since 1996, including soccer and baseball, and exclusively fastpitch softball since 2003 at the recreational, All Star, travel and high school levels. John has coached over 1,200 fastpitch softball games and his teams have consistently excelled at the State and National levels. John has coached from 6u recreational level to the 18 Gold travel level.

John is an ASA Ace Certified Coach, NFHS Certified Coach, PCA Double Goal Certified Coach, and a Certified Mental Skills Coach. John has been a teacher and practitioner of mental skills for over 20 years, and while coaching and studying elite athletes he has seen and proved the direct relationship between mental mastery and consistent, elite performance.

John is a published author on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and his mental performance articles can be found on Max Preps and various other regional and national sports web sites.

Personally, John competed at the Division I level in collegiate baseball and football. He currently is a game coach for The Next Level travel softball organization in San Diego coaching at the 18 Gold and 18u levels. John is also the official mental skills coach for TNL...2011 16u ASA National Champions and 2012 14u ASA Western National Champions. John resides in the Del Mar area of north San Diego with his teenaged daughter.